Piece of Art
by scars from the sun
Summary: "His touch was almost lazy. He looked like his touch wasn't anything out of the ordinary but it was for me. I felt my treacherous heart skip a beat and then beat as fast as it did when I went on an especially long run." [Sirius x OC]


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. I only own my ideas about the Marauders.

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 **Piece of Art ( & Piece of work)**

 **CHAPTER I**

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"No, but Slughorn really is the biggest piece of shit. He only cares about himself."

"Hum, I don't really agree. When you ask him for help he really helps you."

"You're only saying that because you're one of his favourites, Charlotte."

Charlotte was reddening in anger. The familiar glint of anger making its come back in her eyes when Billius O'Connor just waved away her opinion. I continued sipping on my drink, continuing to hide my chin behind my cup. Their talk about Hogwarts' professors was boring me. We had to go back to school in two weeks. The least they could do would be to not talk about it while we were still enjoying summer holidays.

But, unfortunately, Charlotte wasn't one to scream at acquaintances — being shy but also super argumentative was hard. Instead, she just huffed and walked away. Billius O'Connor, like the clueless boy he was, raised his brows and shared a befuddled look with his fellow Gryffondor mate, Alexander Kettleburn.

"What is her problem?"

He looked at me when he said that, seeking my approbation that my best friend was indeed taking things out of proportion. I just shrugged with a small smile and decided that, since Charlotte already left, I didn't have to stay with them just for the sake of being polite.

With a wave, I walked out.

Seeing as the living room was packed, I held my cup close to my chest. I didn't want to relive the accident that happened the last time I went out to a party as big as this one.

The music was a bit too loud for my tastes. It was fine one hour ago. I even enjoyed doing silly dance moves with the girls earlier but, now that there was almost no space and the temperature had raised a good ten degree, I just wanted some fresh air.

I thought I heard my name being called but when I looked around I just noticed James telling a story to the big circle that had formed around him. Peter's face was all red with how hard he was laughing — he didn't seem to care for the moment that his drink was spilling on his fingers —and a big grin was plastered on Remus'. The latter one who was standing next to James was interjecting from time to time in James' tale to the delight of the audience apparently because everyone was left in stitches.

At the scene, I felt a smile take place on my lips.

Suddenly, I was pushed back.

"SORRY!" shouted someone over his shoulder after his back crashed into my shoulder.

I was going to go on my way but a hand took hold of my shoulder. The hand was unpleasantly hot on my already warmed skin. I wanted it off but then when I looked away from the offending hand I recognized the big grin directed at me. Eddy McMillan. His dark blond hair curls were even longer than when he left Hogwarts more than one year ago. He looked older but exactly the same too.

"Eva, long time no see! You're looking good!"

Even though he was screaming to be heard over the music, I had trouble understanding him. It didn't stop me from returning his grin with one of my own. I had forgotten how speaking to him always made me try to at least appear happy.

"How have you been?"

"Good. What about you?"

"More than great now that I got to see you!" he winked.

I could feel myself blushing. No, no, no, no, no, nooo! _Why?_ I was older now. He wasn't supposed to make me feel so insecure about myself!

Desperate to not make him notice my blushing cheeks, I sipped on my drink, strands of hair falling on my face as I lowered my head.

His hand was still on my shoulder until it wasn't. One second I was free and the next his fingers were curling around a strand of my hair. Feeling more and more flustered, I instinctively looked at him, forgetting why I was hiding my face in the first place.

In his twinkling eyes I saw my reflection: my widened brown eyes, my brown hair falling over my shoulders and my slightly reddened cheeks. I looked stupid and the creases around his eyes appearing as a result of his smile was too endearing for my already fluttering heart.

"Am I making you blush, little Brown?"

It was as if his cheeky comment resurrected my usual confidence. I could be in control only if I let myself be in control.

I threw back my head — _make it look like it was just all in his head_ — and then I ran a hand through my hair with a grin, the other still holding my almost empty cup. I felt silky strands of my hair brush my neck before they fell behind my back.

"Sorry, the room is a bit too warm for my taste."

He had leaned back when I started laughing. His cheeky grin was still plastered to his face but at least his face wasn't fifteen centimetres away from mine anymore. I wasn't fifteen anymore. I wasn't going to let myself be intimidated by his tactics that every other boys used as well. He was fit — _more than fit_ —, yes, but it didn't make him all mighty. Right? Right! (Now if only my cheeks could get the memo too, it would be great.)

"Do you want to go outside?"

"That's where I was heading too," I answered him with a little laugh.

I would enjoy catching up with him since he had been nothing but kind with me during my five first years at Hogwarts but at the same time I didn't know if being alone with him was a good idea. His slightly red eyes and the lingering smell of alcohol made it clear that he wasn't completely sober.

"Hey, mate, they're starting a play. You coming?" A Gryffondor from Eddy's year interrupted us.

I didn't remember his name but I remembered how many bones he crashed with his bat during Quidditch games. I glanced at his arms and they were still as impressive as before.

I forgot how the promo of 75 was such a good-looking bunch.

As if he felt my eyes on him, the Gryffondor threw me a smile. I smiled politely back just wanting them to go away as I fought back the urge to fidget.

Good looking people were okay when you saw them every day so you could become used to their charms but otherwise... _ugh just go away I can't handle so much beauty it makes me want to flee_

"You can come too if you want, Brown."

 _HELGA'S KNICKERS HE REMEMBERED MY NAME_

I hope I didn't let out any exterior sign of the alarms blaring into my head because the two gorgeous boys in front of me wouldn't have missed it with how they were both staring at me.

It was only in time like these that I became aware of my own strength: I managed to keep a smile on my face and my lips didn't even shake!

"No, thanks. I'm just gonna go outside to have some air. I'll see you later," I reassured them when they didn't move. "Just go have fun!" I said, pushing my luck by putting a hand on Eddy's arm to make him move.

"You better not disappear, Eva, or I'll just _accio_ you to me," Eddy threatened me, pointing his finger at me with serious eyes.

The image of me floating above the crowd to reach Eddy crossed my mind and it made me laugh out loud.

"Don't be stupid! Just go!"

After a last push to his arm, him and Gorgeous Arms disappeared in the crowd. I shook my hand with a fond smile and finally continued on my way.

The fresh air on my skin was the best sensation I've had in a while.

After having walked a bit, I found a chair next to the still empty but not for long pool. I carefully put my cup on the ground and took off my sandals. I then sat myself down and just closed my eyes to enjoy the almost silence — _Merlin, did James want me to become deaf? Music wasn't supposed to be so loud_ — and the solitude.

Eddy was a sweet and wonderfully kind boy but always a bit too flirty for my nerves to handle. I remembered the first time we met — him a Third Year and me a confused First Year whose starry eyes lasted the whole year, overwhelmed with the beauty of the castle and its cool students. I was seated at one of the tables of Hufflepuff's common room with Ted — _ah, Ted Tonks how I missed him...—_ while he patiently helped me with my homework. (The castle was amazing but the lessons not so much. Ha! Things didn't changed much since then.) Suddenly, a boy with a buzz-cut haircut flopped down on the chair next to mine, a cheeky grin on his face. Radiating confidence, he introduced himself while pointing at himself with his thumb and then scared me when he followed with "so you're the one who's taking all of Ted's time!".

I remembered my heart skipping a beat and then glancing at Ted who had the strangest tired but yet amused small smile while looking at the exuberant Third Year and then, complete panic.

"I am so sorry! I didn't mean to take Ted away from you! It's just that I am _so_ stupid that he has to help with my homework and— Here, take him! I—I'll just finish on my own!"

I remember the silence that followed. My tomato face between my hands, I looked with so much intensity to my homework that I thought that, suddenly, the text would make sense. (It didn't.) And then the boy next to me started laughing so loudly that it startled me and made me look up. I could only look at him bemusedly as his head bobbed up and down, his eyes squeezed shut, before he started pounding his hand on the table.

"I think you're being a little too dramatic, Eva," Ted said.

I took my eyes of the hysterical buzz-cut boy to look questioningly at the Seventh Year. This time, his fond smile was directed at me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, not even sure I talked loud enough for him to understand with the loud laugh still ongoing.

But he didn't have time to answer me. One arm curled around my neck and the next second I found myself pressed to the buzz-cut boy's shoulder.

"Where have you been hiding all my life? You're the cutest badger ever!"

It wasn't the last time that a comment from Eddy McMillan would make my face as red as a tomato but, at least, this time Ted was there to tell McMillan to bugger off. He didn't exactly bugger off since he stayed with us two hours afterwards, making jabs at my slowness and pissing Ted off, but I was glad he didn't.

"Are you alive?"

I startled, eyes suddenly opening as I was brusquely called back to earth.

His name went out of my mouth of its own accord.

"Sirius?"

He raised his brows in response, not answering verbally. He was standing in front of me, hands hidden in his pockets and his dark blue shirt so unbuttoned that I had a clear view of almost all his chest. Just his stomach was still hidden by his shirt. His black hair were swept back. No doubt that he ran his hand through his hair so much that it stayed back.

I sat myself properly, flipping my hair over my shoulder when it tickled my neck. I should just cut it. Long hair were such a burden.

"What are you doing here?" I said when he stayed silent, just staring at me.

Finally, he took his eyes off me and looked around in a bored manner.

"I was just walking outside and then I saw you." He looked at me from the corner of his eyes with a smirk. "I wanted to make sure you weren't passed out because you drank too much."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Real funny, Sirius. You know I don't do that," I said, standing up.

We were at the same height now. I used to always have to look down a little before this summer. Now, I had the full intensity of his eyes directed at me.

"Except for last time."

When I groaned, I saw how one corner of his lips rose. I no longer knew how many times he brought up the time in March when he found me passed out on one of the tables of the kitchen after I drank too much to celebrate with the rest of the House our win against Slytherin but, each time, he was as proud of himself as he was the first time.

" _It was one time!_ " I defended myself.

He hummed. "If you say so."

I glared at him because his fake indifference was infuriating but, after five seconds, I just gave up and sighed tiredly.

I changed the subject, knowing my stubbornness would get me nowhere.

"Last time I saw you, you were busy chatting up Helene. I'm surprised she's not with you," I commented, fully aware how much Helene mooned over Sirius because of the number of time I listened to hear go on and on about him and therefore was surprised that she wouldn't follow Sirius everywhere tonight since he seemed interested.

Sirius shrugged.

"You know you can talk, don't you? Shrugs are all right but you have a mouth too. Not only shoulders to make use of."

He chuckled.

I half-heartedly kicked him, my foot brushing against his surprisingly soft pants.

"You're such a twat. Can you only give full sentences to girls when you try to get into their pants?"

I walked around him and plopped myself down at the edge of the pool. The water was glacial but it didn't stop me from continuing to twirl my feet in it. The cold didn't bother me anyway.

I was surprised when he sat down next to me but I didn't outwardly show it, I just continued to absent-mindedly look at my feet. There were shivers on my legs — I should have worn jeans instead of putting on shorts. August was always disappointing with its temperatures.

"What is that?"

I looked at where his finger was pointing. The bruise on my knee had turned purple since yesterday.

"I got into a scuffle with James. I fell a bit too hard on the kitchen's table."

"It's huge."

"Don't worry, I'm used to bruises. Look," I put my finger on the top of my thigh where a yellow bruise was slowly fading out, "I got this one when I played football with the boys of my neighbourhood last week."

I then turned my arm which was brushing against Sirius' to search for another bruise I knew was there.

"I think I got this one during the play too," I mused.

I was caught off guard when Sirius' finger brushed the skin just above my elbow where the bruise was. I looked at him with widened eyes but his eyes were focused on my arm. His touch was almost lazy. He looked like his touch wasn't anything out of the ordinary but _it was for me_.

I felt my treacherous heart skip a beat and then beat as fast as it did when I went on an especially long run.

He let his finger fall and this time it was his grey eyes which paralysed me when he looked straight into my eyes.

"It wouldn't surprise me if you get more bruised than even Quidditch players do."

I forced a smile on my lips.

"They're pussies."

It took him a moment to register what I said but, when he did, he threw back his head and let out his caricature laugh.

The smile which was previously fake turned into a genuine one at the sound.

"Merlin," he sighed happily when he finished laughing, still out-of-breath, "I wasn't prepared for you to say pussy."

He chuckled again and shook his head, his amused smile not leaving his lips to my pride as he stared into space.

The silence was comfortable.

I continued to play with my feet in the water, a grin plastered on my face.

It was him who broke the silence after a moment.

"I saw you talking to Billius O'Connor and Alexander Kettleburn earlier. You looked bored as fuck," he said looking at me from the corner of his eyes for a second.

I furrowed my brows, not understanding what he was talking about until the memory of me sipping on my drink as I listened to Charlotte and Billius talk about professors of Hogwarts.

"Oh yes, I forgot for a second! Merlin," I sighed loudly," I thought they were going to talk about school until the end of the night." I scrunched my nose. "Who talks about school when it's the holidays?! We're there for the whole year! The least they could do is think about something else during the two months we are free from this hell. "

He didn't answer me. Not liking monologuing, I looked at him, ready to glare so he would make use of his mouth for once. But, he _was_ paying attention. Indeed, he was looking at me curiously as he held up his head with his hand. He had slightly raised his leg to put his elbow on his knee.

"What?"

Oops. I said it in a harsher way than what I meant.

"Hell? That's how you describe Hogwarts?"

"Eh?" I was caught off guard. "Hum, well, Hogwarts is great and all that jazz and I really enjoy the people there and the students but, Merlin, I hate the lessons! Life would be perfect if we weren't there for an educational purpose, you know?"

During my whole explanation which left me grimacing, I had been staring at the water, too uncomfortable with the subject while I knew that the Gryffondor next to me was as much as a genius as James was. But, once again, he didn't answer right away. I dared to glance at him.

Thankfully, this time he wasn't looking at my profile but staring thoughtfully at the pool like I previously was.

"It's the first time I hear someone be as negative as you are about Hogwarts. I admit I'm surprised." Our eyes met before he continued. "You always look like you're having the time of your life," he snorted, most probably thinking about a silly thing I did in front of him at school — in my defence, every time I saw him he was with James and when I saw James I always made a fool of myself.

"Not like I go shouting about my despair about life in the corridors," I said.

The subject tired me. I didn't want to partake in a conversation about school earlier with Charlotte, Billius and Alexander and I sure as hell didn't want to partake in another one right now. Even if it meant that I got to hear Sirius say full sentences. This conversation was making me remember that in two weeks time I would be back in Hogwarts and the ever present feeling of stress would make its ugly come back. Merlin, such thoughts were supposed to haunt me late at night when I was trying to sleep not now during James' party.

"Whatever," I said, putting my feet out of the water to get the hell out of here.

My feet were so cold I had difficulty moving them. I wiggled my toes, looking at my toenails which I had painted red earlier in the day and thinking that if there wasn't nail polish on it they would be an alarming shade of blue, no doubt.

"Where are you going?" Sirius asked me in a tone of voice which seemed like he couldn't care less but I was sure that he didn't appreciate me leaving him hanging — this boy was a piece of work as much as he was a piece of art.

Fully standing, I brushed the back of my black shorts with my hands.

"Leaving. You coming with me?" I asked him, raising my brows as he looked contemplatively at me.

Ah, the come back of the shrug.

"Why not," he muttered as he started to move.

Now standing at the same height, I watched him open his mouth but then we heard a scream — "CAAAATCH!"— and I could only look at Sirius in horror as he went flying back in the pool when someone (something?) crashed into him with a definitely feminine scream. I ran the few steps separating me from the pool as I heard laughs and whistles behind me.

One second later, Sirius' head broke the surface. His now wet black hair were completely plastered to his face until he shook his head like a dog. To my shame, instead of asking him right away if he was all right, I caught myself staring numbly at his chest which was now almost completely bare to view since his barely buttoned shirt was floating underwater.

 _Holy Helga, why was his chest so attractive even though he didn't have muscles?_

"AMOS DIGGORY, YOU'RE DEAD!"

It was only at the scream of Helene that my daydreaming stopped. How could I have even been so focused on Sirius' chest that I didn't notice that Helena was right next to him in the pool?

"You'll thank me later, Helene," I heard Amos say, closer to me than I thought he was.

"I won't, you bloody sucker of dick!" She raged, swimming to reach the edge of the pool.

I crouched down to give her a hand as the crowd who just got to the pool laughed and hooted at Helene's sharp and harsh insult.

"Aw, don't be like that, Helene. I only wanted to help you out," Amos said, standing next to me as the two of us watched Helene stand up.

Her arms were crossed under her fortunately black tee-shirt and I could see her shivering. I started rubbing her back to try to warm her.

"You have a fucked up idea of helping people, Diggory." Helene gritted between her teeth.

A salacious grin that I knew very well grew on Amos' lips. "Well, usually my idea of helping people feel better is to have a good shag with them but I don't think that you would have appreciated, would you?"

"Bloody pervert," Helene spat out before violently walking past Diggory with a shove of her shoulder.

The stupid fool laughed with the rest of the audience who was close enough to hear Helene. Akash, the other perverted Hufflepuff from my year, came to high-five Amos and the two laughed.

Almost seventeen and still as foolish as they were at eleven.

When Akash left us after having put a hand on the back of my hand to give me a kiss on the top of my head with a resounding "mwa" to greet me, Amos directed his attention towards to me.

"Sorry for having interrupted your special time with Black," he grinned. "If I knew you were the one with him I wouldn't have thrown Helene at him. I like Helene but badgers first!"

He raised his fist for a fist bump and I fondly obliged — yes, he was a perverted idiot but after six year of living together you even grew fond of perverted idiots.

"You didn't interrupt anything, we were just about to leave anyway."

"That's what you say but" —he lowered voice to a whisper— "I saw you ogling at his chest." He then proceeded to wiggle his brows.

 _Bloody hell, was it the "let's take the piss out of Eva" day?_

"I wasn't! Time to check your eyesight, Amos. Besides, Gryffondor boys are a bit too wet for my liking if you see what I mean."

The next second, I was blind. And wet.

"Is that wet enough for you, darling?"

By the time I took off Sirius' wet shirt that he had just dropped on my head, blinding me for a moment, he was already out of my reach. The show-off was calmly walking back to the house, completely bare-chested and attracting the eyes of every girl in the vicinity.

"Your blush tells me that he is just wet enough for you to get wet," Amos commented.

Taking my eyes off Sirius' back, I glared at Amos and proceeded to shove him hard enough so that he would fall in the pool. Unfortunately, he took me down with him.

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 _The next morning_

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"Have you seen my shirt?" Sirius asked, scratching his hair.

"Isn't it the thing floating in the pool?" James answered, yawning in his cup of tea.


End file.
